You may shower, bathe or wash your hair at any time after the birth of your baby. During your first six weeks, avoid strenuous work. You may choose to limit visits with family and friends during the first two weeks, as it may cause undue fatigue for you and could also be detrimental to your baby's health.
Vaginal delivery.
“Generally, after a vaginal birth, a person can take a shower as soon as they are able to stand,” says Dr. Ghosh. “If you had an epidural, we recommend waiting until the pain medication has worn off to ensure that you can safely stand up on your own.
The 555 postpartum rule is a great guideline that suggests five days in bed, five days on the bed, and five days around the bed, adding up to 15 days of taking it easy and allowing yourself to recover gently during this time.
2 weeks and beyond
You don't need to bathe your baby every day. You may prefer to wash their face, neck, hands and bottom carefully instead. Most babies will regain their birthweight in the first 2 weeks. Around this time their care will move from a midwife to a health visitor.
Recovery and sleep after giving birth
Your baby may not eat much at each feeding during the hospital stay. At some point, you will need to use the bathroom, and you'll want to shower. If you have an epidural, you'll need to wait for it to wear off enough that you feel comfortable walking.
Don't drink alcohol, use street drugs or use harmful drugs. All of these can affect your mood and make you feel worse. And they can make it hard for you to take care of your baby. Ask for help from your partner, family and friends.
Most women will stop bleeding between four and six weeks after giving birth. Some women may bleed for longer or shorter than this.
It suggests that you spend the first five days in bed: get up only to use the toilet and maybe grab a shower. Spend the next five days on your bed: spend most of your time napping or resting with your sweet babe, but feel free to move with baby to the couch or a comfy chair outside once or twice during the day.
Prepare for the 5-5-5 rule: 5 days in the bed, 5 days on the bed, 5 days near the bed. This gives you a solid two weeks of focused intentional rest. It also helps to get your priorities in order when it comes to those eager visitors. They will get to see the baby, but they don't get to make the rules.
Usually, it is safe to begin exercising a few days after giving birth—or as soon as you feel ready. If you had a cesarean birth or complications, ask your ob-gyn when it is safe to begin exercising again.
If your postnatal bleeding (lochia) gets heavier or changes colour (becomes pink or red) after activity, you could be overdoing it. You're also likely to feel very tired. Listen to your body. Pace yourself and make sure you get plenty of rest too.
While six weeks has long been the traditional timeline for rest and recuperation after a birth, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends ongoing postpartum care from birth to 12 weeks. Six weeks is also the standard recovery time allotted for childbirth-related short-term disability leave.
Having a shower and simply letting the water and mild soap run over the incision area is enough to keep it clean. Don't scrub it in the shower and when drying off, don't rub the incision. Instead, gently pat dry with a clean towel.
Lochia will smell like menstrual blood. Some describe it as musty, metallic, sour or stale. However, it shouldn't smell fishy or foul. This could mean bacteria has gotten into your vagina and caused an infection.
You'll bleed from your vagina after the birth. It will be quite heavy at first, and you'll need super-absorbent sanitary towels. Change them regularly, washing your hands before and afterwards.
If the placenta, or pieces of the placenta, stay inside your uterus, you can develop an infection. A retained placenta or membrane has to be removed and you will need to see your doctor right away. If you have major bleeding, this is a medical emergency and you should go to your nearest hospital immediately.
The first few weeks after delivery are an important time for you to rest whenever you can. Try and sleep or rest when your baby sleeps. This rest will help you recover. Avoiding heavy lifting: You should avoid lifting anything that's heavier than your baby while you're recovering.
When is it safe to leave the house with a new baby? There is no rush to go on an outing. In some cultures, women stay in the house with their new baby for a month or more. But it is also fine to take your baby outside as soon as you feel ready.
How long does it take a vaginal tear to heal? Most women feel relief from any pain caused by a vaginal tear in about two weeks. If your tear required stitches, they will dissolve within six weeks.
Try taking a warm bath in a clean bathtub, unless your health care provider tells you otherwise. Sitting in a shallow bath with warm water can help soothe, clean and heal your perineum. You can do this twice a day for up to 20 minutes at a time. Use clean, warm water with no soaps, oils or bubble bath.
Say no to straining.
It's uncomfortable for one, and if a stitch were to possibly pop, intense straining is how it might happen. Straining can cause or worsen hemorrhoids too. Having to push hard or force are signs that your body isn't ready yet, so don't force it.
1 Week Postpartum. The first week postpartum is the most intensive in terms of adjustment and recovery. You have just given birth, are taking care of a newborn, and may have experienced vaginal or perineum tearing (and stitches) or other delivery complications.
Most people find the first six to eight weeks to be the hardest with a new baby. And, although people may not openly discuss many of the challenges in these early weeks of parenthood (if at all), there are a number of common hurdles you may face at this time.